It’s no secret that
the content of prime-time programming has seen a decline in standards over the
years. One area where content has remained decent over the years is the world of
Christmas specials. These stories, showcased each holiday season by the
networks, have been established to be safe family programming. Whether it was a
perennial classic (A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer) or a modern tale (Olive, the Other Reindeer), it was never
a question that the content would be completely clean. Now, an ogre may change
that perception.

Shrek has
proven to be a popular and profitable film franchise. Three movies have been
released in the series thus far, each grossing hundreds of millions of dollars.
The franchise is also notable for making PG-rated children’s animated films
extremely successful. The crude humor employed by Shrek and its imitators
may not be depraved, but it’s still a far cry from G-rated fare (which continues
to have proven success). Having established prominence in theatres, it’s natural
for the studios to showcase the character in other areas; this year, ABC did
just that by airing Shrek the Halls on November 28. The feelings
generated by the special echo those of its film counterparts: it’s not that
Shrek the Halls isn’t suitable for children or families, but when compared
to holiday specials of the past and recent-present, one can’t help but feel the
standards have been lowered.

In his latest
adventure, Shrek realizes that he does not really know how to celebrate
Christmas, as he never bothered to do so himself. But with a family now in tow,
the ogre feels he needs to make their first Christmas special. Unfortunately for
him, their friends also seek to celebrate Christmas together. Donkey, in
particular, riles up the crowd and drives Shrek to his boiling point when chaos
erupts at his cabin. Ultimately, Shrek realizes that, even though he just wanted
to celebrate with his immediate family, his friends are just as important and
deserving of a holiday celebration.

At the heart of the
story lie themes familiar to a typical Christmas special: love, friendship,
selflessness and unity. However, Shrek the Third sullies these themes
with lowbrow humor. This is evident from the very start. The show opens with a
shot of what appears to be a snow-covered green mountain. But appearances are
deceiving, and the sight turns out to be the rear end of one of Shrek’s babies
covered in powder. More gross content later in the special includes Fiona
burping in a snake’s face to make it stiff and Gingy throwing up a chocolate
chip, which Donkey happily eats. The grand finale of grossness occurs when Shrek
tells his own version of “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” During the
story-within-a-story, Fiona and the babies are seen passing gas in their sleep,
Shrek colors the house green with a massive belch and he picks his nose as he
departs into the sky. Feels more tasteless than the Christmas tales of years
past, doesn’t it?

Despite the copious
amounts of gross humor, the most concerning moment of Shrek the Halls is
one that could surely frighten young children. Donkey and Puss have each shared
their interpretations of the magic of Christmas and Santa Claus. Gingy
interrupts these romanticized tales with one of fear. He recalls sitting with
his girlfriend when Santa loomed over the two. From Gingy’s perspective, Santa
is seen as a monstrous, towering figure intent on destruction. With scary music
and ominous lighting, this scary-looking Santa grabs Gingy’s girlfriend and eats
her. Gingy cries as crumbs shower above him. It’s bad enough that the elements
of the scene could easily frighten children, but to have Santa as the monstrous
antagonist is very unsettling. Adults and older children obviously get this
joke, but younger children may just be fixated on the sight itself. The Grinch
was certainly never presented in such an unnerving manner.

The lowbrow content
of Shrek the Halls is the most notable example of a trend by the networks
of showing Christmas specials with questionable content, but the trend has its
roots. In 2005, The Happy Elf premiered on NBC. This was the story of
Eubie, a jubilant elf who nonetheless is a nuisance to many around him. He
learns about a town called Bluesville which, as its name implies, acts miserably
everyday. Eubie wants to spread the Christmas cheer to the town and give its
residents hope. The special is mostly clean, but there is one scene that raises
eyebrows. Eubie is cornered by the children of Bluesville, who hold pieces of
coal in their hands, armed and ready to throw them. Eubie evades many of these
tosses, but one piece hits him right in the groin and he doubles over to the
ground. This is not objectionable material per se, but it is not the kind of
behavior found on specials of the past.

A year later, ABC
aired Holidaze: The Christmas that Almost Didn’t Happen. The special told
the story of Rusty, a reindeer cast-off who helps a boy believe in the spirit of
Christmas and saves the day when chaos at the North Pole threatens to cancel
Santa’s delivery. The special (notably rated TV-PG, a rating uncommon for this
type of program) features two questionable scenes. The first occurs very early
as the narrating elf suggests if you’re thirsty, you can reach down and melt
some snow. As he reaches down, he recoils in disgust and makes a reference to
reindeer droppings.

Later, as Rusty
talks to a disgruntled actor playing a department store Santa, this exchange
occurs:

Rusty:
“You’re supposed to be one of Santa’s helpers!”

Kringle:
“I am not one of Santa’s helpers, I am a thespian!”
Rusty: “Oh…my Aunt Roberta was one of those.”

The reference is
veiled enough that children are likely not to understand what it means, but the
fact that this innuendo is present in a holiday special is a bit unnerving, as
it’s not the kind of content that should have been written in the first place.

Shrek the Halls
(also rated TV-PG) continues the snowball effect of gross behavior, but
raises the discourse to such a degree that the question of its effect on future
Christmas specials must be relevant. In its initial airing, nearly 20 million
viewers tuned-in to the special, making it one of the highest-rated new
Christmas specials in years. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,
will specials with similarly-themed content follow in the years to come. Let’s
hope not. It would be a shame if the age of the clean, decent Christmas specials
has already ended.

TV Trends:
This column was compiled from reports by the Parents
Television Council’s Analysis staff.

Parents Television Council,
www.parentstv.org, PTC,
Clean Up TV Now, Because our children are watching, The
nation's most influential advocacy organization, Protecting
children against sex, violence and profanity in
entertainment, Parents Television Council Seal of Approval,
and Family Guide to Prime Time Television
are trademarks of the Parents Television Council.